Lever action firearm



Jan. 15, 1957 Original Filed July 25, 1951 E. c. NEAL LEVER ACTION FIREARM 2 Sheets-Sheet l BYI- IN V EN TOR.

ERNEST C. NEAL ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1957 E. c. NEAL 2,777,234

LEVER ACTION FIREARM Original Filed July 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORI- ERNEST C. NEAL 5, a /w, QM w ATTORNEYS United States Patent fiice LEVER ACTION FIREARM Ernest C. Neal, Chicago, 111., assignor of one-half to Elmer Brandell, Chicago, Ill.

Continuation of application Serial No. 238,417, July 25, 1951. This application April 19, 1955, Serial No. 502,485

14 Claims. (Cl. 42-16) The present invention relates in general to firearms embodying breech mechanism operable for loading and firing explosive cartridges, the invention having more particular reference to improved means for actuating the breech mechanism of firearms, and comprising subject matter disclosed in an earlier and co-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent Serial No. 238,417, filed July 25, 1951, and now abandoned, of which the present application is a continuation.

Firearms commonly comprise breech structure embodying a frame providing a cartridge chamber for receiving an explosive cartridge, a barrel connected at one end in the breech structure, in communication with the cartridge chamber, a bolt projectibly movable in the breech frame for delivering a cartridge into and holding the same in firing position in the chamber, the bolt being retractibly movable for ejecting the shell of the cartridge after the same has been fired in the gun. Such breech structures also commonly comprise a usually spring pressed hammer carried on the bolt and including a firing pin adapted to strike upon and fire a cartridge in the chamber, said hammer being movable onthe bolt against the spring to cock the same in firing position, in response to shell ejecting retraction of the hammer on the breech frame. 'Trigger means is also commonly provided for holding the hammer in cocked position, such trigger means usually including a depressible finger projecting from the breech structure and hence manually operable to release the hammer for the firing of the cartridge. Firearms, furthermore, usually comprise suitable support means for the barrel and breech structure, such support means commonly including a shoulder stock having a handle portion adjacent the projecting trigger finger; and manually operable mechanism is commonly provided for actuating the bolt. The present invention relates especially to improved bolt actuating mechanism in guns of the character mentioned.

Mechanism heretofore provided for operating the bolts of firearms has included a member manually movable With respect to the breech frame and drivingly connected with the bolt, to reciprocate the same in the breech structure, in response to corresponding movement of such manually movable member. In so-called pump action guns the manually operable member may taken the form of a rod disposed in the gun structure beneath the barrel and extending into the breech structure, being there connected with'the bolt. Beneath the barrel the rod may be provided with a hand grip so thatthe rod may be manually reciprocated longitudinally of the barrel to actuate the bolt. I

In so-called lever action guns, the manually movable member commonly comprises a simple lever pivotally mounted at one end on and beneath the breech structure and formed as a manually operable handle at its opposite end, the lever being pivotally connected with the bolt and normally extending in positionwith its handlejresting immediately beneath and against the-handle portion of the gun stock, adjacent the trigger. Such a simple lever 2,777,234 Patented Jan. 15; 1957 may be rotated on its pivot, downwardly and away from the stock, to retract the bolt in the breech structure, and may thereafter be returned to normal position, snugly against the handle portion of the gun stock, to thereby project the bolt into, and to lock and hold the same in, cartridge firing position. The travel of such a simple lever required to move the bolt is of the order of about the axis of its pivotal mounting on the breech structure, whereby substantial movement of the hand of the operator of the gun is required to retract the bolt for the ejection of an exploded cartridge shell and the subsequent return of the bolt to firing position in the breech structure.

An important object of the present invention is to substantially reduce the time required as well as the manual movement necessary in actuating the bolt of a gun.

Another important object is to provide a bolt actuating mechanism comprising a manually operable member movable through minimal displacement in actuating the bolt of the gun; a further object being to provide mechanism in which the force required to operate the bolt may be substantially less than that required in conventional mechanisms.

Another important object is to provide a mechanism for actuating the bolt of a gun and comprising a manually operable member, and an auxiliary bolt actuating lever member, both mounted for movement on the breech structure of the gun and drivingly interconnected by cam means, whereby relatively small movement imparted in the manually operable member will cause the bolt actuating lever to tilt on its pivot sufficiently to actuate the bolt; 21 further object being to provide one of the members with a driving member in position to work against a cam formed on the other.

Another important object is to provide a bolt actuating mechanism comprising a manually operable lever member movable on its pivot through an angular displacement of the order of fortyfive degrees or less in actuating the bolt of the gun.

Another important object is to arrange the parts of the bolt actuating mechanism so that they may be applied or assembled in existing guns to replace existing parts, in order to afford the advantages of the present invention in existing gun structures.

Another important object is to provide for mounting the auxiliary bolt driving lever of the present invention on the existing lever pivot of a conventional lever action gun and to provide an attachment clip mountable on the breech structure of the gun to provide pivotal support for the manually operable lever of the present invention.

Another important object is to apply a compound lever mechanism, comprising a manually operable main and an auxiliary bolt driving lever and embodying a shifting fulcrum connection between the levers, for the purpose of operating the bolt of a gun smoothly and rapidly, such mechanism requiring minimum effort to move the parts, and minimum displacement of the manually operable lever in operating the bolt of the gun.

Another important object is to provide compact bolt actuating mechanism having the advantages mentioned and which does not increase the bulk or size of the gun in which it is assembled, nor materially increase the weightthereof, nor render the same clumsy either in appearance or action; a further object being to provide mechanism which can be readily applied in existing gun structures Without necessitating the alteration of the basic breech structure and mechanism of the firearm.

The foregoing and numerous other important objects, advantages .and inherent functions of the invention will become apparent as the same is more clearly understood 'fro'mthe following description, which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side view of a conventional gun structure of the sort in which the mechanism of the present invention may be incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side View of a gun structure containing bolt actuating lever mechanism embodying the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of parts forming the gun structure shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows the breech frame of the gun shown in Fig. 1, together with the bolt, firing pin and trigger mechanism;and

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of compound bolt actuating lever means embodying the present invention and a mounting clip for attaching the same in the conventional breech structure shown in Fig. 4.

To illustrate the invention the drawings show a gun and constituent parts thereof comprising a support embodying a stock having a handle portion 1d, a barrel 11 and breech structure mounted on the stock, said breech structure comprising a frame 12 carrying the barrel 11 connected thereto at the forward end thereof, the frame being formed with a cartridge chamber opening into the barrel 11. The frame carries a bolt 13 longitudinally movable in the upper portions of the frame, from advanced breech locking position to a retracted breech open position. In moving toward retracted position, the bolt may extract the shell of a fired cartridge from the chamher and eject the same from the breech structure. An unfired or live cartridge may then be delivered into firing position in the chamber in response to movement of the bolt from retracted to advanced breech locking or closing position. When in such breech closing position the bolt abuts, at its end, against the end of a cartridge in firing position in the chamber, thus enclosing the cartridge tightly therein. The bolt carries a hammer 14 having a head and a firing pin. The bolt also carries a spring which serves to normally urge the hammer on the bolt in a direction toward the chamber closing end of the bolt. The hammer may be retained in cocked position on the bolt against the influence of the spring when the bolt is in breech closing position, and may be released for movement on the bolt toward and impact of its firing pin upon the bolt engaged end of a cartridge held in the chamber, such impact firing the cartridge.

The gun structure also comprises a trigger mechanism mounted on the frame 12 beneath the bolt 13, said mechanism including a pivoted trigger element 15, a biasing r spring 16 and a trigger actuated sear 17 having a hammer detent 18. The trigger element has a depending manually movable finger which extends downwardly of the lower or bolt remote side of the frame 12. The spring normally urges the trigger element on its pivot in a direction to hold the sear in position to engage its detent 18 with the head of the hammer 14, to thus retain the same in cocked relationship. By pressing the finger 15' to move the trigger element against the influence of its biasing spring the detent of the sear may be retracted to release the hammer for cartridge firing movement on the bolt. The gun also includes manually operable means for moving the bolt from breech closing to retracted position and for returning the bolt to breech closing position, in order successively to eject the shell of a fired cartridge, to engage the head of the hammer with the sear detent and to deliver an unfired cartridge into and to lock the same in firing position in the chamber of the gun, while simultaneously cocking the hammer on the bolt.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings is shown conventional manually operable means for operating the bolt, such means comprising a simple lever element 19, pivoted at one end thereof on a pin 20 mounted in a mounting lug 21, formed on and depending beneath the frame 12. At its opposite endthe lever is formed with an operating handle 22 by means of which the lever may be moved on the pin 20 from a collapsed position in engagement with the handle portion 10 of the gun stock, as shown in solid lines in Fig. l, to the angularly projected position shown in dotted lines. The lever also has an arm 23 extending upwardly from the medial portions of the lever, and into the frame 12. This arm at its terminal end is formed with a driving pin 24 adapted to engage and ride in a cam groove 25 formed in the bolt, whereby the pin 24 may operate in the groove 25 to move the bolt from breech closing to retracted position when the lever 19 is moved from its normal or collapsed position to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and to return the bolt to breech closing position in response to the return movement of the lever 19 from its projected position to the collapsed. position shown in solid lines in Fig. l. The travel of this conventional lever 19 may be of the order of or more about the pivot pin 20.

The present invention, as shown in Fig. 2, contemplates the provision of improved mechanism for actuating the bolt between closed and retracted positions. To this end, the improved mechanism of the present invention may comprise a' main or manually operable lever 26 and an auxiliary lever 27 respectively pivoted on mounting pins 26' and 27 mounted in spaced relationship on and below the frame 12 of the breech structure, the frame 12 being formed with a preferably integral downwardly extending lug 21 disposed on the frame forwardly of the trigger 15 and provided with a pair of spaced openings 26: and 27a for receiving and respectively mounting the pivot pins 26 and 27, the opening 26a being disposed between the trigger 15' and the opening 27a. 7

The auxiliary lever 27 may be of generally curved configuration. It may be pivoted at one end on the pin 27' and drivingly connected at its other end with the bolt, as by means of a driving pin 23 adapted to engage in the groove 25 of the bolt. The manually operable lever 26 is pivoted at one end on the pin 26 and formed at the oppo ite end with an operating handle 29 formed to lie snugly against the underside of the handle portion it) of the gun stock. The main and auxiliary levers 26 and 27 are drivingly interconnected by suitable power multiplying means which, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises a roller 30 mounted on one lever in position to engage a cam 31 on the other. As shown, the main lever 26 carries the roller 30 mounted medially thereon and the auxiliary lever is formed with a cam slot 31 adjacent its mounting pivot 27; and the parts are assembled with the roller 30 extending in the slot 31.

When the bolt is in chamber closing position in the breech structure, as illustrated in solid lines in Fig. 2, the manually operable .lever 26 will occupy a collapsed or foldedposition snugly against the lower side of the handle portion of the gun stock. When in such position, the roller Stlt'will be disposed in the end of the slot 31 adjacent the pivot pin 27. As the lever 26'is drawn or pulled downwardly away from the stock, the roller will ride along the lower or outer side of the slot 3?. in a directiontherein away from the pivot pin 27, thus drawing the auxiliary lever 2'7 in a counterclockwise direction, viewing Fig. 2, initially with maximum force and subsequently with diminishing force, as the parts approach the open position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. During such movement, the auxiliary lever 27 will turn on its pivot 27 sufliciently to draw the bolt 13 to the fully retracted position, thereby engaging the head of the hammer 14 with the detent 13 of the sear.

Thereafter, in returning the lever 26 from the projected or open position toward normal or closed position against the stock, the roller 30 will ride along the upper or inner edge-of the slot 31 toward the mounting pin 27 thus applying aprogressively increasing turning movement upon the auxiliary lever 27, thereby driving the bolt with progressively increasing force toward chameach other and the bolt.

portance in providing a mechanism that will not only" ber closing position in the breech structure, and simultaneously cocking the hammer with respect to the bolt against the influence of the hammer spring.

It will be seen that the operating movement of the manually operable lever 26 is of the order of forty-five degrees of angular displacement of the lever on the pin 26', in order to accomplish the full retraction and projection of the bolt, as compared with movement in excess of 110 of movement required of a conventional lever of the sort illustrated at 19 in Fig. 1. In addition, by providing increasing power multiplication during the latter stages of bolt closing movement, during which the tensioning of the hammer spring provides increasing rethe bolt between its breech open and breech closed positions. The general coincidence of bolt movement with that of the bolt connecting portions of the lever 27 is a factor which contributes to the effectiveness of the mechanism in obtaining the necessary bolt travel in response to substantially effortless, minimum movement of the manually operable lever 26, in an exceedingly compact mechanism.

Compactness is, of course, essential in breech constructions for firearms, and is an exceedingly important aspect of the present invention, since the same not only proposes a compound lever mechanism for improved bolt operation, but provides a specific lever arrangement of sufiicient compactness as to make the same a practical and commercially feasible improvement. In that connection, while compound levers are and for many years have been well known for various efiort saving purposes, the present invention does not merely consist in recognizing the possibility of utilizing compound levers for bolt actuating purposes, in lever action guns, but includes the relatively diflicult and unobvious steps of finding the right combination 'of levers, including the shapes and dimensions thereof, and the spacement and relative arrangement of the lever supporting pivots with respect to All of such factors are of imaccomplish the desired result, namely, smooth, effortless bolt actuation with minimum manual lever movement, but which can be constructed so compactly as not to increase the bulk or size of the breech mechanism in which mounted.

One of the most important dimensions which it is necessary to maintain in a commercially feasible gun structure is the overall depth of the breech frame, which may be expressed in terms of the vertical distance from the top of the frame 12 to the bearing or mounting provided on its underside for the reception. of thevlever pivot. This distance, in conventional lever action rifles,

ofthe sort shown in Fig. l, for example, may be of the order of, say, 3.25 inches, where the handle 20 measures, say, 5 inches, and the distance from the pivot 20 to the boltdriving pin 24 is of the order of 2.5 inches, total required bolt travelbeing of the order of, say, 3 inches, accomplished in response to movement of the manually operable lever", through an angular displacement of, say, 110. It would, perhaps, be obvious that angular movement of the manually operable lever, in such an arrangement, could be halved, .bydoubling the distance between the lever pivot20 and the bolt driving end 24 of the lever. In order to. accomplish this, the depth of the frame 12, frorntop to lever pi vot mounting, would have to be increased from,. say, 3.25 inches to not less than 5.75 inches, thereby producing a grotesquely "clumsy de vice of no commercial value whatsoever.

The breech structure and bolt actuating mechanism of firearms embodying the present invention, however, may be constructed so that the resulting gun is no less c0rn-' pact than comparable guns of conventional design; and this desired end is achieved, in part at least, by support-' ing the auxiliary lever 27 on a mounting pivot 27' located at the bottom or bolt remote side of the breech frame 12, immediately in front of the trigger 15, by supporting the manually operable lever 26 on a pivot 26 mounted on the breech frame in spaced apart relation with respect to and forwardly of the mounting pivot 27 on which the auxiliary or bolt driving lever is carried, and by disposing the lever driving cam slot 31 in the auxiliary lever in non-radial or offset relation with respect to the pivot 27';

The pivotal mounting of the auxiliary lever at the lower or bolt remote side of the frame 12, forwardly of the trigger, not only allows the bolt connected end of the lever to travel in general coincidence with the path of bolt movement, but also assures transfer of driving power at substantially maximum efiiciency for bolt driving purposes. The pivotal mounting of the manually operable lever forwardly of the auxiliary bolt driving lever pivot allows desired power multiplication to be accomplished, by the compound levers and driving cam means, so as to allow substantially effortless bolt movement in response to minimum displacement of the manually operable lever.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 5, the lever 26 may be formed as a relatively inexpensive sheet metal stamping at least in part, that is to say, the portions of the lever that extend between the handle and the pivot pin 26 may be of sheet metal construction forming a channel having side walls 33, the roller 30 being mounted on suitable pin means 32 mounted in the spaced walls 33 of the channel. These side walls may extend upwardly as at 33' across the end of the handle portion 29 which is nearest the pivoted end of the lever 26, the end of one of the walls 33 being notched as at 34 to accommodate the conventional safety lock control slide 35, which is usually mounted on the breech frame adjacent the projecting pressing portion 15' of the trigger element 15, when the lever 26 is in folded position against the stock.

The channel defined between the walls 33 and 33' may serve to receive and enclose the portions of the auxiliary lever containing the slot 31. In this connection, it should be noted that the portions of the levers 26 and 27 which project beneath the frame of the breech structure, when the levers are in position folded against the stock, are snugly and compactly folded together, the one within the other, said folded portions providing a guard 29 for the projecting finger 15' of the trigger element, which extends within said guard. When the lever,

members 26 and 27 are in the extended position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 it will be seen that those portions of the driving lever 27 adjacent the pivoted end of the lever continue to extend in the channel provided between the walls 33 of the lever 26 and are thus guarded by such channel portions. The remaining portions of the lever 27 which are disposed outwardly of the channel extend behind the trigger finger 15 in position forming a guard for said finger which is thus guarded by the levers at all times. It will also be apparent that the relative movement of the levers 26 and 27, by virtue of the interfitting relationship of the lever 27 within the channel of the lever 26, takes place in fashion substantially avoiding all danger of catching and mashing the fingers of the operator between the levers.

Asshown moreparticularly in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the improved lever mechanism of the present invention may be supplied as a replacement unit for assembly on an existing gun, such as the gun shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Tothis end, a mounting bracket 36 may be provided. The bracket may conveniently comprise a sheet metal stamping, providing a pair of spaced wall portions 37, having edges 38 formed to engage the between, the holes 49 being located in position to align,

with a transverse bolt channel 41 formed in the gun, for the purpose of receiving the pin on which the sear 17 is pivotally mounted in the breech structure assembly.

By removing and discarding said sear mounting pin, as well as the lever 19, the mounting bracket 36 may be assembled on the breech frame 12 and held in place by means of a suitable fastening bolt 42 mounted through the openings 40 and the bolt channel 41 of the gun, in position to serve also as a pivot pin for the sear 17. So mounted, the side walls 3'7 of the bracket may enclose the lever mount 2-]. of the original gun structure, upon which the pivoted end of the auxiliary lever 27 may be mounted as by means of the pin 27'. In such case the pin 27 may comprise the pin 2! employed in the original gun structure for the mounting of the lever 19. The bracket 36 may be formed with perforations 43 in position aligned with the mounting pin 27 when the parts are mounted on the gun to facilitate application and removal of the pin 27 through the openings 43. The bracket 36 also is formed with aligned openings 44 in the walls 33 and spaced from the openings 43, the pivoted end of the lever as being mounted on the bracket by means of a suitable mounting pin 45, secured at its opposite ends in the openings 44.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention employs cam means for accomplishing substantial bolt actuating movement of the auxiliary bolt driving lever in response to movement of relatively small displacement in a manually operable element. As shown herein, the manually operable element comprises a movable member drivingly connected with the bolt actuating lever by means of a roller working on a cam'whereby power multiplication and movement acceleration of varying degree is accomplished during the operating movement of the bolt actuating lever. It will be apparent that the valuable features of the invention are not necessarily limited to mechanism in which the bolt actuating lever is driven by a manually operable lever, but that the teachings of the invention may be applied to advantage in slide action firearms of the so-called pump gun type.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantages will be fullyunderstood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing fro n the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein disclosed being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt' driving lever of C-shapcd configuration pivoted at one end on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said bolt, a manually operable lever pivoted on said mounting means, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said Cshaped lever intermediate the ends thereof.

2. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a carwith said bolt, a manually operable lever pivoted on said mounting means and providing a pair of spaced apart portions extending on opposite sides of the bolt driving lever, and driving means supported on and extending between said spaced apart portions of the manually operable lever in position to drivingly engage said bolt driving lever intermediate the ends thereof.

3. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at he top of tne frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said mounting means. the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said belt, a manually operable lever pivoted at one end thereof on said mounting means, the other end of. said mar ly operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever and including a cam component on said manually operable lever between the pivoted and handle forming ends thereof.

4. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said bolt, a cam formed on said bolt driving lever intermediate its pivotally mounted and bolt connected ends, a manually operable lever pivoted at one end on said mounting means, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means mounted on the manually operable lever, between its pivotally mounted and handle forming ends, and drivingly associated with said cam to thereby drivingly interconnect said manually operable and bolt driving levers.

5. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a gun barrel connected to the forward end of said frame in communication with said chamber, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber,pivot mounting means on the frame below the, chamber, a bolt driving lever supported at one end for rocking movement about a pivot axis on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said bolt, a manually operable lever pivotally supported atone end thereof on said mounting means adjacent and forwardly of said pivot axis, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means drivingly interconnecting said driving and manually operable levers, including a cam component on saidvmanually operable lever between the pivoted and handle forming ends thereof. 7 7

6. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said belt, a manually operable lever pivoted at one end thereof on said mounting means, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever, said cam means comprising an elongated cam surface on one of said levers, intermediate the ends thereof, and a cam driving member on the other lever, intermediate the ends thereof,

I in position to drivingly engage said cam surface.

tridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected 7. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for. opening and closing the'chamber, pivot mounting means onthe frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted ,at one end on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said belt, a manually operable lever pivoted at one end thereof on said mounting means, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever, said cam means comprising an elongated slot formed in one of said levers and having an end disposed adjacent and an opposite end remote from the pivot on which the lever containing said slot is mounted, and a cam member on the other of said levers, intermediate the ends thereof, said cam member extending in said slot for driving engagement with the lever in which the slot is formed.

8. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said bolt, a manually operable lever pivoted at one end thereof on said mounting means, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever, said cam means comprising an elongated slot formed in one of said levers and extending in a direction offset with respect to the pivot on which the lever containing the same is mounted, and a cam member on the other of said levers, intermediate the ends thereof, said cam member extending in said slot for driving engagement with the lever in which the slot is formed.

9. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, said bolt having a cam groove therein, a bolt actuating lever mounted for swinging movement about a pivot axis on the frame and formed with a driving abutment extending in said cam groove to actuate the bolt, said lever being formed with an elongated cam slot having opposite ends disposed respectively remote from and adjacent to said pivot axis and extending in a direction offset with respect to said pivot axis and substantially normal to the radius of said pivot axis at the axis adjacent end of the slot, a manually operable lever supported at one end thereof for swinging movement about a mounting axis spaced from said pivot axis, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and a driving member on said manually operable lever, between the pivoted and handle forming ends thereof, in position extending in said cam slot.

10. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top :of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame between projected chamber closing and retracted chamber open positions, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt actuating lever drivingly connected with said bolt and mounted for swinging movement about a pivot axis on the mounting means, said lever being formed with an elongated cam slot having an end disposed adjacent and an opposite end remote from said pivot axis, a manually operable lever supported for swinging movement about a mounting axis spaced from said pivot axis, and a cam member On said manually operable lever in position extending in said cam slot and movable therein continuously in one direction from the axis adjacent toward the axis remote end of the slot, as the levers are shifted to retract the bolt, and continuously in the opposite direction from the axis remote toward the axis adjacent end of the slot, as the levers are shifted to project the bolt toward chamber closing position.

11. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame between projected chamber closing and 70 retracted chamber open positions, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt actuating lever drivingly connected with said bolt and mounted for swinging movement about a pivot axis on the mounting means, said lever being formed with an elongated cam slot extending in a direction offset with respect to said pivot axis, a manually operable lever supported for swinging movement about a mounting axis spaced from said pivot axis, and a cam member on said manually operable lever in position drivingly engaging said bolt actuating lever in said cam slot, said cam member being movable continuously in one direction progressively away from the plane common to said mounting and pivot axes, as the levers are shifted to retract the bolt, and continuously in the opposite direction progressively toward the plane common to said mounting and pivot axes, as the levers are shifted to project the bolt toward chamber closing position.

12. A firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, pivot mounting means on the frame below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end of said mounting means, the opposite end of said lever being drivingly connected with said bolt, a manually operable lever pivoted at one end thereof on said mounting means, the other end of said manually operable lever forming a grasping handle, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever, said cam means comprising an elongated slot formed in one of said levers and extending in a direction offset with respect to the pivot on which the lever containing the same is mounted, and a cam member on the other of said levers, intermediate the ends thereof, said cam member extending in said slot for driving engagement with the lever in which the slot is formed, said cam member being movable continuously in one direction from one end of the slot toward its opposite end, and vice versa, respectively as the levers are shifted to retract and to project said bolt.

13. The combination with a firearm comprising a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame and a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, of a bracket forming pivot mounting means, means detachably securing the bracket on the frame of the firearm below the chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said bracket, means for drivingly connecting the opposite end of said lever with the movable bolt of the firearm, a manually operable lever pivoted on said bracket, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever.

14. An attachment for a lever action firearm embodying a frame formed with a cartridge chamber at the top of the frame, and a bolt movable on the frame for opening and closing the chamber, said attachment comprising a bracket, means for detachably securing the bracket on the frame of the firearm beneath the cartridge chamber, a bolt driving lever pivoted at one end on said bracket, means for drivingly connecting the opposite end of said lever with the movable bolt of the firearm, a manually operable lever pivoted on said bracket, and cam means drivingly connecting the manually operable lever with said bolt driving lever.

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